Mini Grenade Launcher
by AlGiardino
Summary: Hands of blue are in the process of taking River off Serenity. Story centers on Mal and his many troubles. Post BDM by three years, established Mal/River and Kaylee/Simon.


**Title: Mini Grenade Launcher**

**Date: 2-5-08**

**Characters: Mal, River, Simon, Kaylee, Zoe, Jayne, Inara, Hoban (OC)**

**Pairing: Mal/River, Simon/Kaylee**

**Rating: T ; gunfight, explosions, cursing in Mandarin, and the aftermath of the Hands of Blue's odd little weapon.**

**Word count: 1,916**

**Summary: Hands of blue are in the process of taking River off Serenity. Story centers on Mal and his many troubles. Post BDM by three years, established mal/river relationship. **

**Disclaimer: The characters of 'Firefly' are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No infringement of copyright is intended.**

They where taking River. Somehow they snuck onto the ship without her sensing them and they where taking River.

The soft glow of the screen illuminated the captain's bunk in which he was locked; just as the rest of the crew was split between the Tams' bunk and Zoe's bunk.

The security cameras in the ship showed two men in dark suits, they had blue gloves on for some reason. And being dragged along behind one of them was an unconscious River.

They where parked on Persephone and there was a stinger warship hovering directly above Serenity. _It must've been that Badger told'em we'd be here. Son of a bitch. O' I'm definitely gonna kill him now. Gettin' sidetracked though, there will be time for settling up later._

Eight miles away Badger wasn't overly concerned about Mal's retribution. The sad little king sat dead in his office, dried blood around his mouth, nose, and ears. He never did see that reward he was after.

Mal walked quickly to the other side of his bunk and depressed what to any one else, except Zoe, Kaylee, and River of course, would have appeared to be one of the many rivets helping to hold the ship together. A slot opened in the wall near the floor.

The captain got down on his knees and reached into the cavity. He started pulling stuff out quickly; amongst the many things that fell to the floor were several different sets of ships papers naming various captains, rainy day money, a very old laser pistol, and a two year old marriage license. Mal reached further into the compartment and found what he was looking for.

_Oh Kaylee is not gonna be happy bout this. _He never had seen such a grouchy pregnant woman and not for the first time Mal felt a stab of pity for poor Simon.

As Mal quickly yanked the mattress from the bed he took a last look at the monitor and his blood chilled, they where almost down to the catwalks in the cargo bay. The stinger would blow this ship to pieces when they where clear and River would be lost as surly as all on Serenity would be dead. He hunkered down on the floor opposite the exit and covered himself with the mattress. The last thought that passed through his head as he leveled the old mini grenade launcher at the hatch and pulled the trigger was to hope that the concussion in this little metal room didn't turn his brain to soup, that would definitely throw a wrench into his plan.

888 

His eyes opened slowly and boy did he have one hell of a headache. He could smell something burning and the world was eerily silent. The memories of what happened came rushing back as he stood up, knocking the burning mattress from him. The room seemed to be spinning a little and it was in ruins, _Kaylee won't be the only one mad bout this._ Mal stumbled over to where the hatch had once been. There was a ladder that went up about six feet and ended. A little above where the ladder morphed in to just melted and twisted metal, there was a large gaping hole into the hall.

Mal shouldered the launcher and climbed what was left of the ladder then reached up to one edge of the hole. His hands and arms getting bunt and cut as he pulled himself up through the opening, but he paid it no mind.

He ran to the end of the hall and punched the emergence over ride code into the numpad to unlock all the bunks. After that gorram bounty hunter and now this gorram mess he would have to have Kaylee rig it so the crew's bunks could not be locked from the outside.

He ran on to the kitchen, bent down and yanked his pistol from his gun belt that sat on the floor. Nearby sat Zoe's gun and a large pile of weapons that had been strapped to Jayne a few minutes ago. He then ran flat out to the catwalks above the cargo bay floor.

They where walking down the ramp.

He aimed his gun and fired two shots. The hwun dan dragging River fell to the ground with a bullet in his head the other blue handed bastard turned quickly about. Mal's second round had found a home in the middle of his back but somehow that didn't seem to stop him from returning fire. A narrow laser blast bit through Mal's stomach. As the captain stumbled back into the railing Zoe appeared at his side firing and the second man fell.

Mal recovered his equilibrium quickly and ignored the pain in his gut. He ran, tacking the stairs down two and three at a time and sprinted across the cargo bay, Zoe and now Jayne, and Simon hard on his heals. Mal noticed Kaylee trialing cautiously behind Simon her hands protectively over her stomach. Inara was the only absentee, she must still be in Zoe's bunk watching over Hoban.

"Jayne, end the Stinger" Mal shouted as he tossed the man the mini launcher not even looking at him. Jayne snatched it from the air and ran past Zoe who was dragging the two dead men the rest of the way down the ramp.

Zoe noticed that the big man had a look of glee on his face as he ran past.

Mal knelt down at River's side and carefully picked her up. Starting toured the infirmary with Simon walking backwards in front of him, Mal realized that Simon's mouth was moving but no words seamed to be coming out. Mal didn't think much on it though as he was really start'n to feel the pain now.

The ground seamed to shake and Mal almost lost his balance. After waving happily up to the stinger's cockpit, Jayne had sent three minis into the air intake of the little fighter. The lazy alliance pilot was dead and his ship in pieces before he even knew he was in trouble.

"Zoe get use off this rock! Kaylee, engine room, full burn as soon as we break atmo!" Kaylee, who had been following the captain and her husband, looked down at River and at a profusely bleeding Mal, then turned and ran to the engine room with tears in her eyes. Zoe had already set off for the bridge.

Mal's vision was starting to get blurry as he neared the infirmary door. Simon was still flappin his mouth though there were no words. Mal nearly growled in anger wondering, _what is Simon playing at_. Mal was about to set River on the bed in the middle of the infirmary as Simon grabbed his shoulder and indicated the second bed off to the side. Mal turned and started to the other bed just as he felt the ship lift off. The little bed seamed to be getting farther and farther away as Mal tried to stay awake. Fighting the pain and the darkness slowly creeping over his eyes, Mal crossed the uncrossable distance and set River on the little bed. Not but a few seconds later the world went black, as far as Malcolm Reynolds was concerned anyway.

888 

The first thing Mal became aware of was dull pain in his gut. Then his nose seamed to start working, there was a smell of antiseptic, and then another scent, familiar and pleasing but he could not quite remember it. Then he started to hear voices though he could not tell what was being said. He felt so weak. Then he noticed a low humming, almost a beating sound, like a large mechanical heart, Serenity's engine._Well least I'm still on Serenity_ he thought, _whatever happened it couldn't be that bad._ Then he noticed that someone was holding his hand.

Deciding it was time to try opening his eyes, he put considerable effort into doing so. The voices had all stopped for some reason. Blinding whiteness was all he saw for a few seconds then things started to come into focus.

There seamed to be a lot of people in this little room. His memories slowly started to come back now and he was able to put names with faces. His whole crew seamed to be in the infirmary with him. He also seamed to be slowly gaining back a little strength.

Then he noticed the person holding his hand. River was sitting on a stool smiling a huge smile at him. His memories started to come back a little faster as he smiled back.

Then one who he recognized as Simon asked "How are you feeling Captain?"

"Bit tired." Mal stated weakly. Then "How are you doing lil' Albatross, scared me half to death."

"Fine now that Simon fixed you back."

"Fixed me back? Ain't noth'n wrong with me sept I'm a bit tired is all"

"When you carried River in here yesterday you had a fresh laser wound in your abdomen, a concussion, both of your eardrums where blown, and you had fresh second degree burns on your hands and arms." said Simon, already gearing up for a confrontation. Simon recognized that it would not be long now until Mal started whining about lying in the infirmary when there was work to do. Even though Mal would probably be too weak to lift his arms much less walk about the ship.

It was Kaylee, looking like she was about to pop, that spoke up, "Couldn't you've found another way out of your bunk capt'n? It's ganna take me weeks to put it right."

Then Zoe who was holding little Hoban's hand said "She has a point Sir; launcher did seam to be a bit much."

"Y'all didn't seam to be getting out with any of your millions of ideas at freedom, as I recall y'all were all still shut up tight in your bunks when I freed ya'." Then realizing that he was naked under the sheets except the silver cross that he had started wearing again about two years ago he said, "Now somebody fetch me some cloths so I can get up and about. I'm fine and I'm sure there are captain'y things to do.

"You are not going anywhere Captain, and even if one of us had gotten out and was in the hall when you shot that weapon off, you would not have known it."

"I would have too, member the security cameras I had your wife install? Don't go ordering me around on my own boat again either or we gonna have problems. Now where's my pants." Said Mal as he tried to sit up, though he failed miserably what with one of River's hands on his shoulder applying very little pressure but more than enough to keep him where he was.

Then Inara put in her two cents "Really Mal, you could have killed us all with that thing."

"You did blow up our bunk bao bay" said River with a mostly stern face though her eyes seamed to be smiling at him.

"Oh come on, can't ya' see I been gut shot, leave your poor captain be."

"Now he 'members the whole get'n shot thing" Jayne put in as he turned out of the infirmary. Captain seemed to be his regular old crotchety self and Jayne, starting to feel a might hungry, thought it would be a good time to raid the kitchen.

**Translations:**

hwun dan - bastard

Gorram - God damn

bao bay - Sweetheart


End file.
